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challenging
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
June is a brilliant child. The orphan niece of a world renowned scientist whose own brilliance is about to change space travel forever. However when her uncle passes away, both Jane and his project become untethered.
If you liked The Martian but also like any book by John Green, you’ll like this book. It is equal parts plausible sci-fi and coming of age/romance.
I would dock a star for June’s ignoring the major red flags of her love interest but I liked the rest of the story too much and even the smartest of us are a little stupid in our late teens. He is like her manic pixie dream boy.
If you liked The Martian but also like any book by John Green, you’ll like this book. It is equal parts plausible sci-fi and coming of age/romance.
I would dock a star for June’s ignoring the major red flags of her love interest but I liked the rest of the story too much and even the smartest of us are a little stupid in our late teens. He is like her manic pixie dream boy.
QUICK TAKE: I enjoyed this cinematic take on a female astronaut story, though I preferred the first half of the book (the MC's time at an elite space training school) much more than the back half (the MC, now an adult, trying to convince others that a missing space crew is still alive). I found myself losing interest once the relationship drama kicked in, and would have liked a better integration of the MC's classmates into the bigger story. That being said, if you're a fan of the genre or books like THE MARTIAN, might be worth checking out!
Similar to The Martian, but with more character development and fewer details about potato farming.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Graphic: Gore, Vomit, Abandonment
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was exactly what I was in the mood for and it met or exceeded all of my expectations. One of my most irrational fears is to be lost in space, but for some reason, most of my favorite films are about space travel, and this maybe weirdly helped relieve some of those fears? June is so capable, smart, and strong. And none of the technical elements felt too far over my understanding, which is always a relief for me. I was initially disappointed that this wasn't part of a continuing series (at least as far as I can tell), but I think the ending was perfect. I wouldn't have minded a little bit more romance, or more time on the stations rather than training, but I could have kept reading this for 100 more pages and felt pretty pleased. Overall, it was just right for what I wanted, and I have a feeling my next read will have a lot to live up to.
As one person put it this is Jane Eyre meets the martian. June is a very bright child who struggles after the death of her uncle who was raising her. Her aunt gets her enrolled in a special academy for children who are going to go into the space program. June always expects to go to space and does so. A lot of the novelist spent on her time at the academy and her struggles to fit in socially. The most exciting part however is when she goes to space. Toward the beginning of the novel you find out that a crew is stuck on a planet and they have lost communication with them so everyone assumes the crew has died. June however describe it if they are alive. She and others work on the problem that they plagued their unit and she goes and seeks out her father's former prodigé, James. James is working on the fuel cell and seems like a good person but may not actually be. The two of them have a relationship but it seems James not a nice person. He kept a crew member alive and never told June about it and kept her in the secret room. So June escapes him and freeze that crew member, although you assume she dies. June then figures out how to help save the people who are stuck on the planet. The ending is unclear whether or not it works. The decent novel with complicated characters.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A good concept but the execution didn’t work for me at all. I had to drag myself through this one.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated